Wisconsin native, conservative critic of everything.
"Once abolish the God, and the government becomes the God." ---G K Chesterton
"The only objective of Liberty is Life" --G K Chesterton
"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions" --G K Chesterton
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Need a Budget Cut? How About BATF?

We mentioned that BATF is spinning out of control.

No Lawyers gives us the latest chapter of the "Project Gunwalker" book:

The questions, if asked in a Congressional hearing under oath, are sure to make those in charge at both ATF and DOJ squirm.

1. Has the gun used to murder Border Patrol agent Brian Terry been identified? If so, on what evidentiary basis, including ballistic evidence. If the gun has been identified, the two key questions: (A) has this gun ever been traced before? (B) if so, what do the traces show?

2. What are the locations in Mexico where "gunwalked" firearms were recovered?

3. Were any "gunwalked" firearms used to murder anybody in Mexico? If so, who? Again the Goat (Copulation) questions: (A) have any of these guns ever been traced before? (B) if so, what do the traces show?

4. Did Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer attend any meetings at which Project Gunrunner was discussed in full or in part? If so, provide (1) the date of the meeting or meetings, (2) names of all persons who attended each meeting or meetings, and (3) the unredacted write-ups of what was discussed at each meeting or meetings, as well as private, unpublished notes, e-mails and any other documents that contain information about each meeting or meetings.

[nota bene: I am making a distinction here between ATF and DOJ as institutions, in asking these questions]

5. For each of the 274 firearms recovered in Mexico, describe the extent, if any, to which Mexican authorities were advised these firearms had been transported to Mexico with the knowledge of ATF.

From what we have seen and heard, "Project Gunwalker" isn't pretty. I think the answers to these questions aren't going to be pretty either.

The VERY brief story: BATF officials allegedly: 1) encouraged gun-dealers to sell dozens of rifles to suspected cartel members in the US; 2) sorta-kinda "watched" those gun-runners cross the border with the weapons; 3) "forgot" to tell the Mexican authorities what was going on; and 4) now are "forgetting" that they encouraged the dealer to do the deal with the gun-runners.

ONE of those rifles appears to be the weapon which killed a member of the Border Patrol.

So. Do they need funding?

Nope. Except for the room-and-board they'll take up in Federal prison.